Confirmation 5773 Essays

This year in Hebrew School when we, the confirmation class, met with Rabbi Weber, we discussed our personal code for living, or ethics. Every week we had different questions given to us that forced us to think of how we would face challenges in the future. After seven months of developing my personal ethics, I now have a clear path to my future endeavors. By treating people with respect and admiration I will attempt to be the best person I can.

I pray for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes I pray because I’m nervous, other times I pray because I’m happy and want to thank God, and sometimes I just pray because I have the time to. I pray at temple, home, and other times at school. But anytime I pray, I feel the same way each and every time. I feel like I’m talking to God. Even though God doesn’t respond, I know that God is listening. If I’m happy and want to thank God, then I know that God will accept the thank you. If I’m nervous or worried about a test, I know that Adonai will comfort me and make me feel better about it, so I can do well on it.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed about my future. I dreamed about becoming a princess and living in a peaceful world where everyone gets along. While growing up, I have read and seen unfortunate events where innocent people have been killed. Some of the major ones I can recall are: Sandy Hook Elementary shooting (2012), Columbine High School shooting (1999), Virginia Tech shooting (2007), and who could forget the infamous 9/11. Based on this, as a teenager, I have come to the conclusion that we need to work on world peace.

I learned a lot of things this winter in Washington, D.C. on the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) trip. I learned that if you want to get a bill or a new law passed, you had better be passionate about your idea, be able to discuss your idea and not quit trying to get your idea into law. In other words, you have to do it yourself. We were taught, through various activities, the process and the time it takes to get a new bill into law. While we were on the trip, there were other Reform Jewish teens there being taught the same lesson.

During the first week of high school, my principal gave my class the guidelines and requirements for getting accepted into National Honor Society. Besides a high GPA and teacher recommendations, I would need at least 150 hours of community service and leadership. Then I got to Hebrew school and was told that I needed an additional 18 hours of service for confirmation. It all seemed very daunting. A year and a half ago, that seemed like an impossible amount of time spent doing volunteer work. I started my service early and have since learned much more than what could ever be taught to me in school.